Pneumatic tire



v 2 Shets-Sheet 1. 'F. W. MORGAN 8; R. WRIGHT.

(No Model.)

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

v Patentd July 25 I I 2 sheets-sum 2. F. W. MORGAN 8v R. WRIGHT. PNEUMATIC TIRE.

Patented July 25, 1893.

(No Model.)

' UNIT D STATES PATENT O FICE.

FRED W. MORGAN AND RUFUS WRIGHT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,047, dated July 25, 1893. Application filed December 24, 1892- Serial No. 456,205. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat we, FRED W. MORGAN and RUFUS WRIGHT, both citizens of the'United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Tires, of which the'following is a speciportions it shall form a continuous air-cushion, which although capable of separation,

will during service be practically held to; gether as a single tube incapable of separation at the joint also to so close and arrange the ends of the air tube as to avoid strain and leakage at its said ends as a result of inflation and service. We may form the air-tube in any suitable way, although in practice we prefer to form it upon a mandrel, and to employ unvulcanized sheet-rubber as a material for the same. After forming the tube we "flatten and close its end portions, either by rolling down the same or by pressure otherwise suitably applied, and then desirably vulcanize the tube so as to practically unite the meetingsides of each flattened end as one solid piece. The air-tube thus formed can then be drawn within an endless tubular sheath having a limited split or opening provided for the introduction of the air-tube, a ready way of drawing the tube within the sheath being to first tie to one end of the tube a string having at one end a weight, to

then introduce said weight within the sheath by way of the limited opening in the latter, to then cause the weight to traverse the tubular passage within the sheath by properly moving the latter, and to then withdraw the weight and pull upon the string until the airtube is completely threaded or drawn within the sheath. After thus introducing the airtube within the sheath we lap the closed flat ;-r end portions of the airiube upon the inflatable portions of said tube and after preferwithstand leakage under the strain of inflation, since in place of simply closing the-tube at terminal points, we permanently unite its opposite walls along the end portions of the tube which union extends back some distance from the terminals of the structure, and render such flattened portions practically solid.

This arrangement also permits us to lap the flattened end portions of the tube upon its infiatable portions which latter when inflated will clamp the flattened end portions against the innerwall of the sheath, thereby firmly holding them and avoiding any and all displacement during service, and effectively securing the tube against leakage.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 represents the air-tube prior to flattening its ends, a portion of the tube being broken away for convenience of illustration. Figs. 2 and 3 show the air-tube with its ends flattened. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the air-tube with its flattened ends subject to compression by clips or clamps. Fig. 5 is a section through the sheath with the air-tube arranged therein and shown in elevation. Fig. dis a section through a portion of the tire. Fig. 7 shows said portion of the tire externally, and illustrates the split closed by lacing. Fig. 8 is a section taken trans versely through one of the flattened end portions of the air tube as indicated by line a::c in Fig. 3 and illustrates the line of meeting between the opposing flattened walls of the air-tube. Fig. 9 is a like View with the said line of meeting shown in Fig. 8 omitted in order to illustrate the practically solid condi-,

tion of the flattened end portion when the same has been subjected to suitable pressure and to vulcanization.

The air-tube A, Fig. 1, can be formed in any suitable way and of any desired material but is preferably made of unvulcanized sheetrubber. The ends of the tube can be flattened as at a in any desired manner, such as by rolling down the same or by subjecting them to the pressure of clamping or pressing devices. hen made of unvulcanized rubber it is preferably vulcanized after its ends have been flattened, and in such case we have found it advantageous to subject its flattened ends to compression during vulcanization so as to insure perfect union. To such end therefore we have shown clips or clamps B which can be employed to compress the flattened ends of the tube during vulcanization and which can be used in the first instance to thus flatten the tube ends. The flattened ends of the tubes will however unite by vulcanization without such pressure, and hence we do not limit ourselves to the same. As another way, we can flatten the ends of the tube and unite the opposing flattened sides of its said ends by cement, and in fact we have so made them with good results. Broadly considered therefore, we can flatten the ends by any suitable means, and unite the same by vulcanization, or by cementing, or by any mechanical device suitable for the purpose,

but as a matter of further and special improvement we flatten the ends of the tube and unite the same by vulcanization, and in such case we first construct the tube with unvulcanized rubber which will unite by vulcanization, and by thus forming the air-tube, its flattened ends will be rendered solid and permanently closed. The air-tube thus formed can then be placed within any suitable tiresheath and the end portions of the tube can be lapped so that unless the tube is inflated, it will in effect form a continuous tube, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein A indicates the air-tube arranged within a sheath 0,

and understood to be in an inflated condition.

By such arrangement the flattened ends a of the air-tube lap the inflatable end portions of the tube, and owing to their flattened condition occupy but little room and do not interfere with the inflation of the tire. Further important advantages of such arrangement are that the tube can be readily and economically made, and that it can be easily introduced into a tubular sheath having only a short slit 0 as an opening through which access can be had to the interior of the sheath.

\Ve do not however for the broader purposes of our invention, herein limit ourselves to this particular construction of sheath which constitutes the subject of our application, Serial No. 450,068, for Letters Patent of the United States, and may thus arrange the air tubes in any other suitable construction of sheath or easing; it being understood however, that for certain special purposes herein mentioned we have in certain claims specifically included a tubular sheath having a limited slit or opening, in conjunction with certain other matters. The flattened terminals (1. of the air tube shown in said Figs. 5 and 6, lap to some extent the inflatable end portions of the tube, and hence when the tube isinflated, the transversely flattened end portions of the tube will be pressed and firmly held against theinside wall of the sheath and when thus held against the transversely circular or curved inn er wall of the sheath, the said flattened ends of the airtube will be caused by theinternal air pressure to partake of the transverse curvature of the Wall of the sheath and thereby he close to the same and occupy but very little space, it being seen that the space occupied by the flattened end of the tube is simply proportional to the thickness of the said flattened end a, and hence the thinner the air tube, the thinner will be such flattened end. The tube thus inflated will have the practical elfect of a continuous tube since the abutting or op- Dosing lapping inflatable portions of the tube as at a" will be pressed closely together by the confined body of air and will lie wlthln the sheath so as to form a flexible diagonally arranged partition which will in no wise 1nterfere with the general elasticity of the lnflated tire. Should repairs of the air tube become necessary, it can be deflated, and ow ng to the separability of the ends, it can easily be removed through an adjacent opening 1n the sheath. In this relation the sheathhavmg a short opening and the air tube haylng separately closed ends and arranged w th Its end portions abutting against and lapplng one another as shown, becomes a further special feature of improvement, it being obvious that an air tube having permanently joined ends could be thus removed through such opening in the sheath, and that in order to remove a tube having permanently united ends, 1t would become necessary to split the sheath along its entire length.

The hereinbefore described mode of flattening the ends of the tube and vulcanizing the same so as to render said ends solid, forms a feature of improvement which is also preferably embodied in the foregoing described way of arranging the tube within the sheath, although for the broader purposes of such arrangement, we may flatten the ends of the tube and unite the opposing flattened sides of the same by cement or otherwise. Where the air tube is thus arranged within an endless tubular sheath having a short split or suitable limited opening, we prefer arranging a pad or layer D between the air tube and split or opening, which said pad or layer can be of any suitable material, either metallic, or fibrous or the like.

What we claim as our invention is 1. The within described improvement in forming inflatable tire tubes, consisting in flattening the end portions of the tube, and closing and uniting together the opposing flattened walls of the same as described.

2. The within described improvement in forming inflatable tire tubes, consisting in flattening the end portions of an unvulcanized tube and vulcanizing the same with its flattened end portions subject to compression.

3. An inflatable tire tube having transversely flattened closed end portions,'substantially as described. c

4. An inflatable tire tube having flattened and solid closed end portions, substantially as described.

5. A hollow or pneumatic tire comprising an inflatable tube confined within a sheath and having closed transversely flattened end J portions, substantially as described.

6. A hollow or pneumatic tire comprising an inflatable tube having flattened closed end portions, and confined within-a sheath, the

flattened end portions of said tube being ar- "ranged to overlap the inflatable portion of the tube, substantially as described.

7. A hollow or pneumatic tire comprising a tubular sheath having a limited split or a tubular sheath having a limitedopening for the insertion and removal of the air tube, an air tube confined within the sheath and having-flattened end portions, anda shield or layer arranged between the said openlng and the 'inclosed air tube substantially as described.

FRED W. MORGAN. RUFUS WRIGHT.

Witnesses: V

CHAS. G. PAGE, RETA M. WAGNER. 

